H2AW 2017

hunger and homelessness awareness week

THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 13TH-17TH, HELP US SPREAD AWARENESS OF STUDENT HUNGER, MALNOURISHMENT, AND HOMELESSNESS ON THE UC BERKELEY CAMPUS.

Please help us reach our fundraising goal of $2 million dollars, which will serve hungry, malnourished, and homeless students for the years to come. In light of recent events and expenditures, we believe that student health and wellness is at least as important as campus safety, and we hope that our community can come together in this week to honor that belief.

11/13-11/16: 2017 BNS Case Competition

In honor of Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, we are hosting the first ever BNS Case competition!

The case competition is intended to get students to think critically about BNS issues and help offer solutions that BNS can implement in the future. There is NO data analysis required, so students from all majors, years, and backgrounds will be on an even playing field and can find the event manageable.

1st place: meal with the Vice Chancellor of Equity & Inclusion Oscar Dubón, Jr. and featured story on the BNS page

2nd place: sponsored boba party for 30 people

3rd place: $20 gift card to the Berkeley Student Food Collective for each member

The prompt will be released on 11/13, and solutions are due on 11/16 4:59 PM. Our judges will review the submissions to decide who the finalists are on the night of 11/16. Finalists will be notified by 9:30 PM, and they will present between 10 AM-3 PM the next day on 11/17. Results will be announced at our community dinner on 11/17 5-7 PM.

11/13: Campus Gardens Tour

Please come out to our campus gardens tour on Monday, 11/13 3-5 PM. Meg Prier, the campus gardens staff coordinator, will be leading attendees around our beautiful garden facilities and answering any questions. Meet at SOGA (corner of Virgina and Walnut Streets). Meg's email is megprier@berkeley.edu if you have any questions or problems the day of!

11/13: Fundraising Dinner

Update: It is with a heavy heart that we will have to cancel the community dinner.

11/14: Mental Health Workshops

Two Mental Health Workshops will be held on Tuesday, November 14th (one in Stiles Hall and one in the Multicultural Community Center) to facilitate conversation about the intersection between mental health and basic needs. The workshops will be hosted by Tova Feldmanstern, a Staff Social Worker from Counseling & Psychological Services, and Nadia Damani-Khoja, a CPS doctoral intern. FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED AT BOTH EVENTS! :)

Educators' Mental Health Workshop (12-1pm, Stiles Hall): This will be a space for faculty/admin/staff to discuss how educators can support student mental wellness, key trends/behaviors observed, and different ways to respond to students in crisis.

Students' Mental Health Workshop (4-6pm, 242 Cesar Chavez): A student panel will be sharing their personal experiences with mental health and basic needs insecurity. This will be followed by a community building space for students who may share similar experiences, and it will also be an opportunity for students to gain more information about what resources are available.

11/14: FAFSA/Dream Act Workshop

In conjunction with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, we are doing an outreach campaign to encourage students to fill out the 2018-2019 FAFSA or California Dream Act Application.

The BNS x FAFSA/Dream Act Application workshop will be held in the Open Computer Facility Lab on Tuesday, November 14th 6-8 PM. Students can work on their applications during the workshop and get questions answered by Financial Aid Office staff. All attendees must have an OCF account to log into the computers. You can make one at ocf.io/join before the event, or bring your own laptops to work on.

11/15 BNS Experts Panel:

An Experts Panel will be held on Wednesday, November 15th from on 7-9pm in Dwinelle 145. Featured speakers with expertise or personal experience in basic needs efforts will speak about their work and how we, as a community, can work together to combat student food insecurity and homelessness. There will be representatives from the Berkeley Food Institute, Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s Office, and the ASUC. FREE PIZZA will be provided!

11/14-11/16: Waste Audit & Clean Plate Promo

Co-hosted by both Cal Dining and SERC, Weigh Your Waste’s goal is to expose the amount of food waste created in Cal’s dining halls. To showcase this, students will have to sort their food waste into 4 bins labeled inedible, liquid, napkin, and edible waste. There will also be a “waste buffet” table where completely full plates of food will be placed throughout the night. There’ll be a spinning wheel with facts regarding food insecurity, an online survey, and stickers/prizes for participating students. Clean Plate Promo encourages folks to finish all the food on their plate. Students who finish all the food on their plate will receive sticker prizes!

11/16: "CalFresh on Campus: Breaking the Stigma of Food Insecurity"

On November 16th, the Berkeley Food Institute will release their final Just Food podcast episode of the semester, featuring CalFresh and our very own BNS Committee Chair, Ruben Canedo! Check it out HERE NOW!

11/17: Gill Tract Harvest

To prepare for the community dinner, we will be having a harvest day from 10:30 AM-1:30 PM. Meet at the UC Gill Tract Community Farm! Everyone is welcome to help out! If interested, please RSVP to ibrahim.ramoul@berkeley.edu

Transportation:

52 Bus UC Village - Get off at Monroe Avenue/10th Street

18 Bus Albany - Get off at San Pablo Avenue/Buchanan Street

11/17: Community Dinner

To celebrate the end of our Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week efforts, we will be hosting a community dinner on Friday, 11/17 5-6:30 PM in Anna Head Alumnae Hall (pending confirmation). Everyone who helped make the events possible will be welcome to eat food and learn about our fundraising, CalFRESH, and case competition results. Please RSVP here so we can get an accurate count for food.

Basic Needs | basicneeds@berkeley.edu

Basic Needs Security is founded with the mission that together we will end hunger, malnourishment, and homelessness.